Constant thirst?

[Flinty]

I used to have this issue, and drinking stuff didn't always help. What did?

To eat something, which does a better job of saliva generation.

 

[OkRad]

Yes. I have drunk so much water I have actually gotten drunk off it. Read about that. You CAN get drunk off water. It makes you slur your words, etc.

I have tapered it off, but yes. It is not thirst per se. I do't know why I do it. I have c6 duplication and we have wacky stuff going on.

 

[Joel's Hear]

Both me and my daughter on the spectrum drink lots and pee lots. However, I do agree with streetwise in that you don't want to drink too much because you'll lose your salts. Lime water cuts through the feeling of needing to drink so much. Eating something salty might help, too. Sorry about the teach, too... Whoo, I had a teacher everybody said was so sweet but she was a cruel hag that hated me for being autistic (not that I was diagnosed at that point). The other teacher, supposedly mean, was as decent as teachers can get.

 

[SusanLR]

I'm thirsty and have dry mouth issues.
Not diabetic. Blood tests have all been good.
My doctor can tell by my dry eye syndrome
and the saliva glands that I do have dry mouth.
She recommended a lozenge called TheraBreath that has fruit enzymes that help the glands. OTC.
I find in the heat of summer, fresh cut limes and lemons with some fresh mint really makes a difference too in cutting down on the thirst.
Also coconut water contains natural electrolytes and I drink that a lot in the summers when everything I do makes me sweat.

 

[WittyAspie]

I haven’t ever been thirsty to the extend you have but I do drink a lot of water. I recently consumed a 5 gallon container of water in less than 2 days. When I drink coffee or alcohol I have to drink water with it or the thirst is unbearable. I also get really cranky if I can’t get enough water. When I am thirsty nothing in the world is right.

Was anyone else bothered by not being given water with your lunch at school? We go to health class and learn about the importance or consuming lots of water while simultaneously spending 6+ hours in a facility with sparse access to the most basic element of life. How messed up is that?

 

[James Petrokus Sr]

I may have posted this before. I remember posting it on Wrong Planet but may or may not have posted it here. Anyway, when I was very young, I was ALWAYS thirsty. I could drink until my stomach felt like it was going to explode and was STILL thirsty. I never could focus on my schoolwork because I was too thirsty to pay attention. When I asked the teacher if I could use the water fountain, she always said no.

If I brought a water bottle, I wasn't allowed to refill it. If I got TOO thirsty, I think I would just get up, leave the classroom and use the water fountain even if I didn't have a teacher's permission. Even when there was a water fountain in the classroom. I just got up and used it anyway and the teacher got very angry because none of the other students could get up and use it. Yes they could, she hadn't tied them to their desks yet. (This particular teacher was eventually fired for tying kids to their desks). They KNEW they weren't allowed to touch me and knew that if they did, it would be like trying to handle a great-white shark. But I think I did loose recess a few times for getting up to get a drink. I had a few teachers who even downright mocked me and would wave their water bottles in my face.

So naturally, I had to use the bathroom more often than other students. Sometimes right after I just went. My teachers didn't believe me when I told them I had to go because I went so much. I had frequent UTI's and was always the kid who wet their pants. I had at least umpteen tests for diabetes but they always came back negative. I didn't stop wetting the bed until I was fourteen and sometimes questioned wearing my night diapers to school but I would never hear the end of it if another kid found out.

It was as if I had prader willi but instead of being hungry all the time, I could never feel "un-thirsty". I was pulled out of public school and home-schooled since the fifth grade and never had to ask to use the bathroom and could drink water to my heart's content. But due to my experiences of being deprived a basic human right, I always carry a water bottle with me and if I can't get to it in time, I will have a panic attack. Anyhow, is chronic thirst an autistic thing?

 

[James Petrokus Sr]

A family member is always thirsty and has been tested for diabetes and is negative. Interesting just another attribute for some..

 

[SusanLR]

Psychogenic Polydipsia--
Look into that possibility.
It occurs mainly in Schizophrenia, but is associated with psychological and developmental issues such as autism.

 

[Phlogiston101]

I may have posted this before. I remember posting it on Wrong Planet but may or may not have posted it here. Anyway, when I was very young, I was ALWAYS thirsty. I could drink until my stomach felt like it was going to explode and was STILL thirsty. I never could focus on my schoolwork because I was too thirsty to pay attention. When I asked the teacher if I could use the water fountain, she always said no.

If I brought a water bottle, I wasn't allowed to refill it. If I got TOO thirsty, I think I would just get up, leave the classroom and use the water fountain even if I didn't have a teacher's permission. Even when there was a water fountain in the classroom. I just got up and used it anyway and the teacher got very angry because none of the other students could get up and use it. Yes they could, she hadn't tied them to their desks yet. (This particular teacher was eventually fired for tying kids to their desks). They KNEW they weren't allowed to touch me and knew that if they did, it would be like trying to handle a great-white shark. But I think I did loose recess a few times for getting up to get a drink. I had a few teachers who even downright mocked me and would wave their water bottles in my face.

So naturally, I had to use the bathroom more often than other students. Sometimes right after I just went. My teachers didn't believe me when I told them I had to go because I went so much. I had frequent UTI's and was always the kid who wet their pants. I had at least umpteen tests for diabetes but they always came back negative. I didn't stop wetting the bed until I was fourteen and sometimes questioned wearing my night diapers to school but I would never hear the end of it if another kid found out.

It was as if I had prader willi but instead of being hungry all the time, I could never feel "un-thirsty". I was pulled out of public school and home-schooled since the fifth grade and never had to ask to use the bathroom and could drink water to my heart's content. But due to my experiences of being deprived a basic human right, I always carry a water bottle with me and if I can't get to it in time, I will have a panic attack. Anyhow, is chronic thirst an autistic thing?

I don't have chronic thirst, but I have an old gatorade bottle I bring to work, and am constantly drinking water from it and refilliing it. I think it's just one of those repetitive kind of things I do. But I also really like drinking cool water.

 

[unperson]

Was always thirsty from teens thru thirties, normalised somewhat after that.

 

[SDRSpark]

I'd definitely get a medical check up to make sure it's not due to a condition that could cause serious harm, as others have mentioned.

But you mention that you've been this way since you were a child. This isn't a new development - so I suspect that it's a) not particularly dangerous and b) not going to go away. Be aware of the potential health consequences of drinking too much water (such as vitamin deficiency - it would be a good idea to get a blood test for vitamin levels).

I suspect this may be an interoception issue - a lot of autistic people can't feel when they're thirsty, or hungry. I don't see why it wouldn't occasionally go the other way. Just like people are hypersensitive, or hyposensitive, to pain or other sensations.

 

[Aspychata]

This was interesting to read. Sorry about your horrible teachers. There are some control freaks on the planet in the form of elementary teachers.

 

[BenderRodriguez]

I'm somewhat the same - I drink a lot of water, at least 5 litres a day but not all at once, just through the day. I've always been like this. People often comment - which is annoying - but I also don't drink any kind of sodas or juice, just water and tea.

I don't have diabetes or any other health condition (no UTIs either) and I can easily tell the difference between hunger and thirst. I guess my body just needs more water *shrug*

Edit: I found a calculator online and apparently what I drink is quite normal for high activity levels. The danger seems to come from drinking a lot of water fast and overloading your kidneys.

 

[Jumpback]

I may have posted this before. I remember posting it on Wrong Planet but may or may not have posted it here. Anyway, when I was very young, I was ALWAYS thirsty. I could drink until my stomach felt like it was going to explode and was STILL thirsty. I never could focus on my schoolwork because I was too thirsty to pay attention. When I asked the teacher if I could use the water fountain, she always said no.

If I brought a water bottle, I wasn't allowed to refill it. If I got TOO thirsty, I think I would just get up, leave the classroom and use the water fountain even if I didn't have a teacher's permission. Even when there was a water fountain in the classroom. I just got up and used it anyway and the teacher got very angry because none of the other students could get up and use it. Yes they could, she hadn't tied them to their desks yet. (This particular teacher was eventually fired for tying kids to their desks). They KNEW they weren't allowed to touch me and knew that if they did, it would be like trying to handle a great-white shark. But I think I did loose recess a few times for getting up to get a drink. I had a few teachers who even downright mocked me and would wave their water bottles in my face.

So naturally, I had to use the bathroom more often than other students. Sometimes right after I just went. My teachers didn't believe me when I told them I had to go because I went so much. I had frequent UTI's and was always the kid who wet their pants. I had at least umpteen tests for diabetes but they always came back negative. I didn't stop wetting the bed until I was fourteen and sometimes questioned wearing my night diapers to school but I would never hear the end of it if another kid found out.

It was as if I had prader willi but instead of being hungry all the time, I could never feel "un-thirsty". I was pulled out of public school and home-schooled since the fifth grade and never had to ask to use the bathroom and could drink water to my heart's content. But due to my experiences of being deprived a basic human right, I always carry a water bottle with me and if I can't get to it in time, I will have a panic attack. Anyhow, is chronic thirst an autistic thing?

I always drank a lot of water growing up and now I drink a lot of pop/water/beer

Whenever I go anywhere I always take a lot to drink with me

I don’t know know how much of it is thirst and how much of it is an anxious habit

 

[themaster773]

First of all, my regrets that you have to put up with all the people who comment before fully reading your post. I too have a thirst that can never be quenched. They do say that mold can cause excessive thirst, but treating that didn't help me either. I say, drink to your heart's content, but make sure you aren't mineral deficient. I like Himalayan salt, Irish sea moss, and diatemaceous earth to keep me topped up on things my body needs.

Best wishes, my thirsty fellow human.